Which Wildflower?
Wildflower names are inspired by many different things. Here are seven wildflowers found in the Chesapeake watershed as well as the inspiration behind their names. Can you get their stories straight?
American Bloodroot
Bouncing Bet
Dandelion
Dutchman's Breeches
Oxeye Daisy
Skunk Cabbage
Spotted Touch-Me-Not
1. If you come too close to this plant's ripe fruit, it is likely to explode and throw its seeds at you. On the other hand, if you have touched poison ivy, you might want to ignore this plant's name. The juice from its stem is known to help make the itch from the ivy less bothersome.
2. The name of this plant comes from "dent-de-lion," which is French for lion's tooth. Whether this was meant to describe the plant's yellow petals or its jagged leaves is not known.
3. Your nose will let you know if you have broken or bruised one of this plant's leaves.
4. The white flower of this plant looks like a baggy pair of pants.
5. If you cut into this plant's underground stem, a red liquid will ooze out. Native Americans used this liquid for a dye and war paint.
6. This plant got its name from the Anglo-Saxon words, "daeges eye," which means "day's eye." This is because the plant opens its petals every morning and closes them at night.
7. People have known for about 2,000 years that when this plant's crushed leaves are mixed with water, a soapy lather is produced. (Another name for this plant is soapwort.) The other name of this plant is an old nickname for anyone who was a washerwoman.
Answers
1. Spotted Touch-Me-Not
2. Dandelion
3. Skunk Cabbage
4. Dutchman's Breeches
5. American Bloodroot
6. Oxeye Daisy
7. Bouncing Bet
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Kathleen A. Gaskell, the layout & design editor for the Bay Journal, has been involved with several environmental programs for children.
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